Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Road Is Our Teacher


As a Great American may or may not have said once said ‘The Road is our Teacher.’ From Badlands to Easy Rider I’ve always been fascinated by the American road trip, the endless roads that touch the horizon, the truck stop encounters, the possibility of freedom (sometimes false) that the great land seems to promise. When I first heard tales of  ‘Dick’ from a former girlfriend Kelli (Richard’s daughter) he seemed liked a character from one of the great American novels or movies. Part Huck Finn, part Ignatius J. Reilly. Larger than life, hero and anti-hero, a fierce individual.  It was all there -  women, guns, religion, drugs, booze, and the open road.

The road journey is at once personal and yet universal. As the landscapes fly past the open window, through dying small towns and flooded corn fields your story inevitably crosses and touches other’s stories and for a moment connects, before heading on to the next encounter. And maybe you learn something. Or at least have something new to think about.

Richard’s journey I believe is going to be undeniably eventful, emotional, chaotic and transformative. And we are along for the ride. This blog is really a collection of our own thoughts and observations on the road as we stumble at the unpredictable heels of Richard. Not really a ‘making of’ as such, more of a road diary. As for what happens on Richard's journey? Well you’ll have to wait for the film for that one. 

Joshua Neale, Director